4 tire mistakes that can burn tread, waste gas and reduce safety on the road by Connie Thompson KOMO photo A A Most of us who drive, probalbly consider ourselves to be safe drivers. But our tires might say otherwise. When I reported on AAA’s new tread wear tests last week , I noticed a tire that was practically bald on just a third of the surface. I realized we could all use a refresher on the top mistakes that reduce tire safety and waste 11 cents per gallon in gas.